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After initially staying in LA, Joe McKnight traveled to San Francisco and practiced with USC on Thursday. His status for the Emerald Bowl remains in question.
USC has had better seasons. More specifically, USC has had better weeks. As the Joe McKnight controversy puts a question mark on whether or not he’ll be eligible to play, USC suspends three other players from the upcoming Emerald Bowl.
Tight end Anthony McCoy, offensive tackle Tyron Smith and defensive tackle Averell Spicer have all been ruled academically ineligible. Pete Carroll was displeased, to say the least:
McCoy and Smith are both starters and earned honorable mention All-Pac-10 honors. Spicer is a key reserve. McCoy and Spicer are both seniors, so their USC careers are over.
“We’re really disappointed these guys didn’t come through,” Carroll said in a statement. “They had all the help in the world to get it done and they didn’t do it.”
Amid allegations of that he was seen driving a 2006 Land Rover registered to a Santa Monica businessman with dubious connections to USC, Joe McKnight is still in Los Angeles while the rest of his team is in San Francisco preparing for the Emerald Bowl against Boston College.
"He has some paperwork he needs to do and it's best for him to stay in L.A. so he can be available to finish it," Coach Pete Carroll said on the USC athletic department website. He did not give uscripsit.com a timetable for McKnight's return.
"We don't know right now how long this will take," Carroll said.
Keep an eye on Conquest Chronicles as this one unfolds. Consider the surreal statements the businessman in question made today about how he's not a USC fan, this one's just getting started.
Joe McKnight Practices With USC On Thursday
The Joe McKnight saga took another twist on Thursday. After staying back in Los Angeles while the team traveled to San Francisco for the Emerald Bowl due to questions about whether a Land Rover he was seen driving was provided by a booster, McKnight was back practicing with the team on Thursday, according to the LA Times.
USC has been investigating McKnight’s case since the LA Times broke the story, and head coach Pete Carroll said that while the university’s compliance officer has yet to make a ruling, allowing McKnight to travel to San Francisco and practice with the team was certainly a favorable sign.
SBN’s Conquest Chronicles points out that McKnight’s case is complicated by the fact that the alleged booster is the boss of McKnight’s girlfriend, and makes proving any violations difficult. For continuing coverage and analysis, head over to Conquest Chronicles.
Dec 24 5:41p by Matt O'Brien - 0 comments